Creative Teamwork Easy Group Quilts B Y H I L A RY F E L D M A N
P hotos : H il a ry Feldman
Not every unit has access to experienced quilters and sewing machines to make traditional quilts. However, here’s an easy way to create fabulous quilts, using readily accessible materials such as scrap fabrics, fabric paint, buttons, and hand stitching.
E
asy group quilts enable girls of all ages, including Sparks and Brownies, to participate in creative teamwork, by making a single square each, that then becomes part of a unit quilt design. And adding a few different stitches and a button can also fulfill Girl Guide sewing badge requirements. The unit quilt can be made up of joined squares or designed in a more complicated arrangement, depending on the desired style and available time.
Commemorative Quilt This simplified quilting project can be used to create a quilt for a special occasion, to donate as a service project, or to present as a gift for a significant person. For example, when West Point Grey’s District Commissioner, Janine Chew Graham, was approaching the end of her term and moving away, the entire district came together to create a Guiding memento for her. Each unit designed and made a large square for the front of the quilt, and District Council members embellished additional squares to commemorate significant moments in Janine’s term, including her participation in a large provincial camp. The final step was to piece together all the individual squares and join them to a backing. The reverse of this quilt also had a pattern, but that is optional; a single piece of fabric works just as well. The finished quilt was presented to Janine at the year-end district advancement ceremony. She was delighted, and the girls and Guiders were amazed to see how nicely their unit’s contributions had come together in a beautiful full-size quilt! Hilary Feldman is a Guider in Vancouver, BC, and a member of the Canadian Guider Editorial Committee. CANADIAN GUIDER
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